Elaine Christine Tessman was born July 25, 1937 on the family farm west of Hamlin, Iowa to Alfred Marinus and Hilda Minona (Marcusen) Christensen. She died on September 28th, 2022 surrounded by her loving family at the Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center, Iowa at the age of 85 years, 2 months and 3 days.
The Christensen family moved when Elaine was two years old, east of Hamiln to the farm where she grew up. She helped work milking cows, taking care of chickens, ducks and geese. She was confirmed at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Audubon. She attended rural school in Hamlin and Greely townships. She went to high school in Exira graduating with the class of 1955.
After graduation she worked at the Exira high school as a secretary. She went on to work for the Audubon Co Auditor in January of 1957‐ 1961. In 1957 she met Darold Tessman, they dated for a short time. Elaine said, at that time he liked his cattle better than girls. They kept in touch and started dating again in 1959. They got engaged in December 1960. They were married at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Audubon, two months later on Feb 12th of 1961. They moved to their farm NE of Ross where they lived their entire married life. On Feb 12th, 1963 Elaine gave birth to stillborn twin daughters. It was a hard time for them. Darold and Elaine had four more children, Susan, Dale, Joni and Julie. She stayed home and raised their kids on the farm and helped Darold. They had a large cattle operation, row crops, and hay. Elaine raised lots of chickens and had a huge garden every year. She helped seeding oats and hauling in corn and hay silage. They traveled to Ogallala, NE, and South Dakota to many cattle sales over their lifetime. Darold and Elaine loved square dancing and made many friends while attending dances around Audubon. In 1993, Elaine began working at Walmart in Carroll. She enjoyed her job at the jewelry counter and later in the pharmacy for just over 13 years, retiring in 2006. Darold and Elaine took many trips to Estes Park, CO, Branson, MO and San Diego, CA. They enjoyed several bus trips with the Audubon State Bank tours. She was part of the Methodist Women “Mary” Circle and always helped serve funerals and volunteered a lot of her time to the Methodist Church in Audubon.
Elaine cherished her time with family. She treasured holidays and gatherings around the table with her kids, grandkids, extended family and friends. She enjoyed sharing a big meal, spending days preparing for it. She made the best roast with mashed potatoes, gravy and delicious side dishes. She made sure everyone stayed for coffee and indulged in one of MANY desserts, bars or cookies.
She had 8 grandchildren and was proud of them all. They played cards, games, watched movies, and told many fun stories. Most recently, Elaine was proud of her new title, great-grandma to Elliott Elaine Grossman.
Elaine was a classy lady with great style and a sharp Danish wit. She loved to shop and often times found new stuff in her closet that she forgot about! Elaine spent many of her later years caring for her husband Darold who passed away in July 2019. She began to slow down in the spring of 2022 when she was diagnosed with ALS. She remained determined to fight to the very end, just like the classy lady she was.
Preceding her in death were her husband Darold Tessman, twin infant daughters, her parents; father-in-law and mother-in-law; Arch and Evelyn Tessman; and her sister-in-law Cleone Tessman.
Survivors include her children Susan and Don Grossman of Willey, Dale and Michelle Tessman of Audubon, Joni Tessman and Laura Gerber of Urbandale, Julie and Cody Larsen of Guthrie Center. Her grandchildren Jessica and John Seidl of Templeton, Ben and Michaela Grossman of Dedham, Kylee Tessman and fiancé Nick Kasperbauer of Audubon, Kate Tessman and Daniel Tessman of Audubon, Chelsea Larsen and fiancé Bryce Littler of Ames, Connor Larsen and Caden Larsen of Guthrie Center. Great grand-daughter Elliott Elaine Grossman of Dedham. Her brother Marvin and Annabelle Christensen of Audubon, Brother-in-law Duane Tessman of Audubon, Sister-in-law Wava Bails of Harlan. Nieces, Nephews, other relatives and many friends.
The family will greet friends on Sunday afternoon October 2, 2022, from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa. Funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Lori Shannon on Monday Morning October 3, 2022, at 10:30 A.M. at the First United Methodist Church in Audubon, Iowa Interment will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. The honorary casket bearers will be Jessica Seidl, Kylee Tessman, Chelsea Larsen, Kate Tessman, and Elliott Elaine Grossman. The casket bearers will be Cody Larsen, Don Grossman, Ben Grossman, Daniel Tessman, Connor Larsen and Caden Larsen.
